On one of their first dates Sterling Steffen told his future wife Ilana that there was something she should know about him.
He really, really loved beer.
Like seriously loved it to the point where he was first brewing it in his home bathtub and later using AC units in his fermenting room and computerized refrigerators to keep temperatures stable.
Luckily for him she did too, so just a few years later this brewmance has resulted in the birth of Trademark Brewing, the latest in a wave of breweries in Long Beach.
The new place will be a good spot for those who want to experiment with all sorts of styles since the beers cover the gamut from hoppy IPAs with a real fruity twist to uinque takes on European-rooted beers like ales and stouts and, coming soon, barrel-aged beers like bourbon and sours brews.
“We went for a broad approach. We didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into only providing one style of beer or proclaim ourselves to be the best at any one style,” Sterling Steffen said.
A grand opening party starts at noon on July 13 for the brewery and taproom Located on Anaheim Street in Cambodia Town
The celebration will expand outdoors into the 7,000-square-foot courtyard space the brewery shares with the Packard Building and will include Bartz BBQ and other food trucks.
Built out of an old car repair shop, Trademark is a cavernous approximately 20,000-square-foot brewery with a minimalist and sleek industrial look.
Light wood tables and chairs sit on the original green distressed floor near a long wood bar. Overhead there are exposed wood trusses and skylights above the 17-barrel microbrewery system.
“When we saw this place we fell in love with it and saw the potential,” Ilana Steffen said.
So far there are nine beers on tap including summer ales like the Viking Blonde, which has lime, grapefruit and herbal hops.
“It’s an easy drinking beer, very approachable,” Sterling said.
While it’s not a summer beer another that has been doing well during Trademark’s soft-opening stage in June has been the 10-Hour Stout Nitro, which is special for the couple since it’s one of the first beers they brewed together.
It’s a robust Imperial Stout with heavy chocolate and coffee aromas.
“You definitely want to sit near a fire and put on a smoking jacket when you drink that,” Sterling Steffen said.
Trademark is the latest brewery to open in a hot Long Beach brewing scene. It joins others like Ambitious Ales, Liberation Brewing Company, Ten Mile Brewing, Steady Brew Beer Co, Beachwood Brewing and others.
If You Go
When: Grand opening starts at noon July 13. Brewery hours are 3- 9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 3-11 p.m. Friday 3-11 p.m., Saturday noon-11 p.m. and Sunday noon-9 p.m.
Where: 233 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach
Information: 562-308-7722, trademarkbrewing.com